ESSEN.- Preparations for a special art event are on course. When The Ecstasy of Colour – Munch, Matisse and the Expressionists exhibition opens in the Museum Folkwang in the autumn of 2012, it will be an exceptional cultural event, one which not only those directly involved, but also the countless friends of Expressionism are already looking forward.

The exhibition confronts for the first time the “Fauves”, the so-called wild ones of French art – Henri Matisse, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck, the Norwegian Edvard Munch – with young German and Russian Expressionists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Alexey von Jawlensky, Vassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter and Franz Marc. The artists in Germany followed attentively the new painting in France and used it as a starting point for their own revolutionary development.

RWE’s commitment is also a declaration of belief in the entire Ruhr Area and the people who live here. The Ruhr Area has always provided a good home for the many different forms of expression in the arts.

RWE is one of Europe’s five leading electricity and gas companies. It is active in the generation, trading, transmission and supply of electricity and gas. More than 70,000 employees supply over 16 million customers with electricity and approximately 8 million customers with gas.

RWE is the No. 1 power producer in Germany, No. 2 in the Netherlands, and No. 3 in the UK. The market position in Central and South-Eastern Europe is being expanded continuously. Through RWE Dea, the Group is successfully active in the gas and oil production business in Europe, Northern Africa and the Caspian region. RWE Supply & Trading is one of Europe’s leading energy trading companies.

RWE is investing at record levels. Some €7 billion are earmarked annually for investments in environmentally friendly and flexible generation capacity, which includes power plants, grids and open-cast mines. Over €1.4 billion of that will go towards renewables – mainly wind and biomass.